Her Touch
by hawkeye-of-shield
Summary: He remembers pain, and a woman whose touch he craves but can't have. He remembers her, and he knows she has a name, Or does she? Pepperony. No Slash. T becuz I'm paranoid. ReadxReview
1. Chapter 1

**No idea where this even came from. **

**So, review and read hope you like. A thousand Years I have not forgotten about, just don't have any good songs for it. :P**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

It had been one of those missions where he seriously doubted anything else could go wrong. Then it did. It was almost a repeat of Afghanistan. He was captured, tortured, etc. Except, this time, Pepper's life was on the line.

Her body had been poisoned and the moron who had captured him had the cure.

It was simple, the arc reactor for the cure.

How could he say no?

* * *

He didn't remember waking up. It was more that the world suddenly came into focus. Bright lights and people talking in the backround, it was almost unnerving.

The first real pain he felt was in his chest.

When the world came into focus, so did the pain.

Forceful stabs, piercing through his abdomen. And it burned.

His breaths quickened as the pain fogged his mind. Tricking him into thinking he was in Afghanistan, and crap, why couldn't he breathe? All he wanted was air in his lungs… Then water, everywhere. In his lungs, in his mind, engulfing his body…

Then people were shouting. Everywhere. Why couldn't they leave him alone? He'd given them what he wanted…

He hadn't realized he had been screaming until someone was asking him to quiet down. Soft gentle hands caressed his face and untangled his hair. A scent so familiar and yet distant made its way through his nostrils and calmed him.

Why was it so familiar?

Then he wasn't in the cave. He was in a bed.

A hard…hospital bed?

He let his confusion slip as sleep took him again…

* * *

She watched him night and day.

He had been asleep the entire week, pale and weak in a hospital bed. And she couldn't do anything.

It had broken her heart when Rhodey was the one who was by her bed when she woke. Her eyes burned when he told her Stark had an old reactor in because he sacrificed his to save her. How he was in the hospital and should be fine but wasn't.

She was so used to him being a constant moving machine. Never sitting down, his mind a whirlwind of ideas and pain that never came out.

Watching him, then she could do nothing but whisper reassurances when he had nightmares. A usually energetic person shivering in a hospital.

Run her fingers through his hair and whisper to him when called for her in his sleep. Read his favorite books to fill in the silent void.

Nothing ever seemed enough. He wasn't going to wake alone again. Not after all that he had been through.

And that was a promise she intended to keep at all costs.

* * *

He was no stranger to weird dreams. He had so many nightmares he could make a horror movie. But this, the nightmare he was trapped in, was the worst that he had ever felt.

She was there.

In the cave with him, not Yinsen, but some lady that looked so familiar…

He had become accustomed to caring and worrying about her in his dreams. At first, he was confused. He had never seen that red head in his life. But then she was caring in his torturing dreams. Her relief he yearned for.

This stranger, he could sometimes hear her.

When he wasn't dreaming he was in a void.

She was always there.

Whispering and caring. Had she been hired by Obie? Maybe he did know her…She felt so close in her distance. It was odd.

* * *

When he woke, the woman from his dreams was there.

Not wanting to wake her he took to observing his surroundings.

It was in vain.

"Tony!" She said, reaching out to touch his face.

Not meaning too, he recoiled from her touch. Regretting it as a look of pain touched her soft features.

"Tony?" She asked, voice rising in what he realized was an adorable way, "Honey, what's wrong?"

He paused, shocked by the comfortable nickname from this stranger, "Do I know you?"

* * *

**May or may not continue...let me know what you think. :)**

**Read and review, all mistakes are mine. **

**God Bless, **

**Hawk**


	2. Why

**Sorry for the late update! So so sorry. **

**Did not expect this kind of feed back, bless you all! If I have not responded to your review personally, I apologize, I will get one that!**

**Some of you mentioned wanting a prequal, I am glad to say I've already begun one! Yea me!**

**Chapter 2 and here we go...**

**All mistakes are mine! Let me know if you catch one...**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. None of it. I'm just borrowing the characters for...a while**

* * *

Dry air filled his lungs as he took a desperate gulp of air. Sand also made its way to the back of his throat, causing him to choke painfully. Every breath brought a new fit until his lips began to bleed, the soft ooze sliding down his chin.

He shook his head which brought on a headache that pounded painfully against his head in waves. _Well, _he thought, _there could be worse things. Like Steve Rogers…_

His thought process was interrupted as the door was slung open, rusting hinges making an awful creaking noise which only served to make him feel worse. Apparently his pain was hilarious because someone started to bang against the wall with something metal. Everyone time he yelled out in pain the beating intensified. It finally stopped when he threw up to the side from the intensity of the migraine.

A hand was placed on his shoulder and he was roughly thrown onto his back making him wince even more. They didn't stop there.

A harsh light then started to try and pierce through his eye lids forcing him to look away. Him being weak the man simply shoved his face back towards the light, laughing maniacally. "Don't like the light, Mr. Stark." He sneered, "She didn't like it much either. Although, she never really liked anything that wasn't you, did she?"

He slowly peeled his eyes open, risking them against the harsh light. If he was going to die, he was going to die looking at the jerk in the face. No one just poisoned Pepper. Nor did they get away with it.

"Ah, Mr. Stark, you with us now?"

He smiled before spitting a mixture of saliva and blood into his pudgy face. "Damn right. I'll tell you another thing." He slurred, still trying not to move his lips as much as possible, "You don't tell me where it is, and I will blow this place to kingdom come."

The man laughed, "Still on about that, are we? I told you, you had a week. My doctors will keep her alive until you give it up. Really there is no rush. Except that, yea there is. Because you only have twenty four hours left, don't you?"

The man continued as he began strapping his arms to the chains again. "Now, I could take it from you. But where is the fun in that? I want her to know that you died for her. Because when you wake up, she's going to want to forget you."

He startled to struggle as his hands were pulled upwards and the chains attached to the ceiling to where his toes could just reach the floor. Trying not to look panicked he remained in what posture he could in a last attempt to regain some dignity. All was in vain. He knew it too. The man had done this multiple times and each time he managed to barely yell out.

The whipping had started small. Barely grazing his back, but in the last six days the small cuts became gashes, and the gashes turned to scars. But he carried on.

He loved Pepper, but there was no way in hell he was giving up technology like the arc reactor, even if it was for her. Unfortunately the illogical part of him told him to give it up. It always did.

"Come now," the man said. Pulling a mask over his face as he picked up the whip, "Do you really want to go through this again?"

He put on a faceless expression and prepared himself for the hits. Rhodey would find a cure. Scratch that; Rhodey _had _to find a cure. Pepper's life depended on it. And probably his as well if he didn't find him in time.

Slowly the man came forward, his hand drawn above his head revealing he muscle bulging in his shirt. He turned his head and closed his eyes blocking the view of the musty room he had been placed in. Not like the feeling of death. More like hope. Desperation. Something from Rhodey. Oh, he was softening, what was wrong with him? He blamed Pepper.

The stroke never fell. Instead a needle like pressure slammed into the nape of his neck and all his senses blurred. He thought someone yelled, but it might have been him.

Then it started like a wildfire.

His muscles started to itch and his mind couldn't focus, calculations going a million miles an hour. He continued to yell as bright colors and painful stabs assaulted his head. Pepper's yells made their way in and screamed for her. She lay on the ground, blood soaking through one of her favorite shirts. Was it his?

Blue light seared into his head again and he threw up down his shirt, hands arms hanging loosely in the chains as everything passed and he was left exhausted. Embarrassment blossomed in his chest as he recognized tears flowing down his face. He couldn't tell if it was from the injection or the fact that his entire chest burned.

Looking down he swallowed, forcing bile back down his throat. No, he wasn't supposed to end like this. Neither was she…they didn't keep the bargain…filthy…

Frustrated, he leaned forward, yelling out and feeling much like a trapped animal, he called for her. He knew she wouldn't hear him but it was worth a shot, didn't people believe in stuff like that?

"Pepper!" He screamed again, tears starting anew and blood again coming from his dry and cracked lips, "Pepper. Oh, Pepper." His yells turned to whimpers as his throat constricted mid-sentence from being dry and him being dehydrated.

Dark images invaded the corner of his vision as exhaustion called him to sleep. Lulling him like a soft lullaby it wrapped a soft touch around him which seemed to lower him to the ground into a nice position on pillows and a blanket was laid on top of him.

He thought he heard someone call his name but he chose to ignore it. Sleep was getting harder to avoid and he was so comfortable…

Smiling he fell asleep, hand tracing circles where the arc reactor used to be.

* * *

**Let me know what you think lovely people! **

**Chapter three will be up sooner, and if not, you have permission to bother me until I get on it. :) **

**As always, readXreview**

**God bless,**

**Hawk**


End file.
